Ocean View
by empire14
Summary: -OneShot- 'What have we been fighting for' The Titans are gone, humanity is free, but Levi isn't celebrating. They had fought. Every day of their lives had been a struggle so that maybe, at some point, they could be free. They fought so that they could finally live. So why, at the end of it all, did living begin with death. 'He just wanted to see the ocean.'


People.

They were everywhere. Dancing, shouting, crying, laughing and doing just about every single crazy thing humanity hadn't done in all honesty for over a hundred years. Levi found himself sitting on a rooftop overlooking the streets. He wasn't needed for security or anything even remotely close to that, but he still felt like a soldier and rooftops were the best places to keep an eye on things.

The Titans were gone.

Humanity was celebrating its rebirth as the monstrous beings called Titans were no more. There was happiness in every single heart and Levi knew that he should feel the same. That he should be down there, celebrating with people because the Titans were _gone_. Everyone had thrown down their weapons, abandoned their 3D gear and hugged their friends and family when they had heard that the war was _over_. No more fighting, no more crying and no more fear. No more being eaten or fearing for you comrades' lives or _anything_ involving the Titans.

Titans.

How many times had he thought about that word now? He hated them, had always hated them and always would, in every nightmare to come, he would hate the beings that took so many of his friends' lives.

So why wasn't he down there celebrating, why wasn't he _happy_ that the things he hated were gone? Levi looked at the streets again and his eyes narrowed. He wasn't happy, because they weren't gone. The Titans were obliterated in apocalyptic fashion and humanity would never see one again, but the things Levi hated weren't gone. It had merely taken a while before the commander understood that he didn't hate the Titans _per sé_, he hated what they did and what they stood for. The meaningless killing and almost playful destruction of human life is what fuelled Levi's hatred towards the creatures. He used to think that it fuelled everyone's hatred of them. Levi would have never thought that he'd be wrong about that. He would have never thought he would hate Titans _and humans_ to an almost equal amount.

His fists clenched in his lap as he sat cross-legged staring at the celebration going on below. Yeah, _every single_ Titan was gone. That is what the people had been told, that is what they were celebrating and that was why Levi felt slightly sick to his stomach at even the thought of joining them.

_Every single_ Titan had been destroyed in the name of humanity and freedom. They had been killed so that humanity could live, so that the meaningless killing and cruelty would stop and people could _live_.

It had been the biggest load of bullshit Levi had ever heard. And after everything Levi had seen, he wasn't entirely sure if part of humanity deserved the freedom that Levi and all his dead friends had fought so hard for. _They _had fought and died while those jerks just hid in their fucking castles behind their fucking walls and didn't do _shit!_ They hadn't come outside once until the all clear was given and _ thousands of people had died_ and now they were parading the streets as if they had personally sliced down the last Titans. Though maybe … Levi supposed in a way they did. Those lowlifes were directly responsible for killing the very _last_ Titan. At least, that's how they saw it.

Levi's gaze broke away from the triumphant faces down below and zerod in and a patch of black in the distance. He knew he wasn't the only one not celebrating and the seemingly shimmering half circle of black in the distance proved this. They were on the wall, high above everything, and Levi had to give them credit for finding an even better place than he himself did. He didn't have to see them to know who they were. Mikasa, Jean, Connie and probably even Armin , although someone must have carried him because of his shattered arm, were standing on the wall. They hadn't discarded their 3D gear and the last time Levi had seen them they had been running. Running because, like Levi, they no longer understood what it was they had been fighting for all this time.

Levi closed his eyes when staring into the distance started to hurt and let out a weary sigh that just seemed to add years to his age.

People.

Those seemingly innocent and victimised creatures who struggled to live. The very creatures Levi fought to save, the creatures he was a part of. And now … now all he could see when he looked down was the body of the last Titan humanity had killed. The body of the _boy_ that had given up _everything_ to save the very thing that killed him. They hadn't cared about his life, his voice or his dreams. They hadn't looked at all he'd done to save _their_ asses. They just used him while they could and discarded him by the time he had secured their victory.

Eren Yeager died, age 19, at the hands of, not Titans, but humans. He died in the cell they assigned him, a cell he was now used to, in a manner they felt befitting of a Titan; neck slashed about halfway through.

He didn't evaporate and they seemed surprised. So when Levi and what was left of his squad walked onto the courtyard that morning they found a body burning in a pile of wood. He had been thrown onto the wood haphazardly; legs and arms sprawled out and hooked around branches. His face had been calm, eyes closed in an almost hopeful expression, an expression that was slowly melting off.

Armin had been the first to scream and Mikasa had dropped to her knees with her arms dangling. Levi could still clearly see the dead and haunted look that had invaded her eyes, a look he wasn't sure would ever go away. For the first time in his life Levi hadn't been sure how his own face looked. He saw the fire, saw the charring flesh and smelled its stench, but he wasn't sure if he was actually responding to it or not. Jean and Connie had snapped out of it first and had pretty much carried Mikasa away from the fire. She hadn't protested, hadn't fought, just hung limp like a rag doll with those eerily empty eyes. Levi hadn't noticed Armin still standing there until the blond spoke up.

"I guess … we can never kill all Titans …can we…"

Levi had somehow managed to tear his eyes away from the dancing flames and turned right to see Armin. There were tears on his cheeks and in his eyes. His body was shaking and Levi noticed it was as much out of anger as it was out of grief. His good fist was balled at his side as he stared at the fire. The boy seemed to speak to no one in general as he took a deep shuddering breath and continued.

"We were always fighting for freedom, for humanity's freedom. All we wanted was an end to all the fear and death. The Titans took so many of us, they almost took us all, and yet even now … when the Titans can no longer hurt us … … when the Titans can no longer kill us … humanity picks up where they left off."

Armin's head turned so fast and sudden it surprised Levi and left the man staring into blue orbs full of heartbreak.

"Why? What have we been fighting for? Have we merely given humanity the chance to start killing itself again!?"

Armin's voice was gradually getting louder and Levi found himself unable to look away or speak.

"Why is it okay for a human to kill a human but does it become monstrous when a Titan does it!? It's the same meaningless killing, it has the same destructive outcome! A life is lost and can't be given back, it's the one thing in this world that can be taken but _never _given back! We were safe, we were finally safe and no one had to die anymore because the Titans are gone but … but _why!_"

The tears were flowing freely now and the shaking had intensified. The pain in both Armin's voice and eyes was reflecting Levi's own to an almost frightening extent. The worst thing was, when Armin also lost the strength in his legs and fell down and Levi was staring at the burning pile again, was that the young genius was right. Levi hated the boy to a certain degree, because he had the uncanny ability to always see the things no one else wanted to see. Armin always figured it out because his mind always went ten steps further than anyone else's, seeing both the good and the bad outcomes an action would have. And therefore, the boy was always right.

Normally, if anyone would have compared Titans to humans, Levi would have cracked their skull. But now, seeing what humans had done to the one person who had given up more than anyone to save them, Levi couldn't help but yet again agree with Armin.

Eren was impulsive, stubborn and loyal to a fault. He had been a pain in Levi's ass for most of the time and plainly annoying for the rest. But even though Levi would have killed him if his Titan had gone rogue, even though Levi had had great issues trusting the kid with anything … Eren deserved more.

It wasn't right to pat him on the back after a job well done before sticking a proverbial knife into it. It wasn't right to use someone and then toss them away like a toy you've outgrown. But most of all, it wasn't right how a boy, a nineteen-year old kid, was killed in his sleep for being able to turn into a monster. He hadn't actually turned into one, he hadn't attacked, hadn't provoked, hadn't done anything to suggest any hostile intention, but he was killed all the same merely because _he_ had power which _they_ were afraid of.

Levi had lost too many people, too many _fucking_ people and it was supposed to be over. It was supposed to be over because the Titans were gone so no one else had to be ripped apart or eaten or stepped on or _fucking killed_. Yet here he was, staring at yet another corpse of a person whom he'd fought with.

"He just wanted to see the ocean … why couldn't they let him see the ocean … "

Armin's voice was too young to bear that much pain. Levi felt something break as a sudden rage flooded his system. He needed to get away from the crackling fire and foul stench. He turned but stopped when he saw Connie was standing behind them. The boys expression was grave and made him look way older and more serious than he actually was. He blinked when he noticed his Commanders stare and gave a silent nod as he went to help Armin to his feet.

Said genius let himself be guided away as he mumbled his last said sentence over and over again. Levi, after a few deep breaths, followed his squad off of the courtyard and through the maze of hallways out the front. Jean was half carrying Mikasa at the front and Connie held a silent hand on Armin's shoulder the whole way through.

When they reached the street however, the slow procession stopped. People were screaming and laughing and hugging. They came running up to them to thank or congratulate them as a single line was repeated by every mouth.

"The Titans are gone!"

His squad just stood there, too stumped to comprehend what was going on as the merry mood on the street clashed with their grief and sorrow. Levi stood by to the side and waited for the eventual outburst. Perhaps Mikasa would start a fight, perhaps Jean would. But nothing of the sort happened. Mikasa just suddenly started running and Armin and Jean followed her. Connie stood staring for a few seconds longer before wiping the tears from his face and following his friends.

Levi was left standing in the street, watching mankind celebrating. It wasn't until he heard the triumphant shouts of 'the shifters have died too' that something started to boil inside him. They knew what shifters were, they knew what Eren was and they were _celebrating_ that he was dead. The boy who had given them back their freedom, Humanity's greatest weapon, was simply forgotten as people rejoiced over his death.

Levi's eyes opened once again as he sat on the rooftop and he found his hands shaking ever so slightly. All the pain and loss of everyone he'd ever lost came back and dimly he wondered if people were celebrating their deaths too, if people were happy that they died as well.

People had patted the Survey corps on the back, had called them heroes. But the only true hero lay forgotten on a burning stake as mankind celebrated. Eren Yeager; a pain in the ass, a fool, a soldier, a kid, a friend, a _fucking hero who's burning like a piece of wood!_

Levi hadn't meant to speak, but his voice came out on its own as his fists became even tighter and his vision blurred.

"He just wanted to see the ocean."

* * *

Because I love Shingeki and couldn't get this idea out of my head. Tell me what you thought and if you have any pointers or tips than please let me know!


End file.
